


Weirdmagedon 2.0

by RaeBright, RayHollows



Category: Gravity Falls
Genre: Actual Mythology, Bill is lowkey a dick, Bill kinda wants to apologize for Weirdmagedon, Dipper thinks he's losing his mind, M/M, Post-Canon, Stan and Ford still have a rocky relationship but they're trying, Tad's definitely a dick, Tons of Monsters
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-03-10
Updated: 2018-07-26
Packaged: 2019-03-29 14:00:00
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,274
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13928547
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RaeBright/pseuds/RaeBright, https://archiveofourown.org/users/RayHollows/pseuds/RayHollows
Summary: Ten years ago Bill Cipher unleashed his nightmare realm upon Gravity Falls before being defeated by the Pines.In that time the town has flourished, rebuilt and moved on as if nothing had happened to begin with.The Pines themselves have moved on as well; Stanley and Ford still exploring the world aboard the Stan o' War II, Soos happily spends his days as Mr. Mystery and the younger twins have filled their lives with college classes. The events of the past have not forced Mabel and Dipper apart, if anything they're closer than ever.Having missed two summer visits in a row a guilty Dipper decides to visit Gravity Falls in Mabel's place one year, expecting nothing more than the usual weirdness and a summer full of catching up with Soos and his family. Stumbling across a de-powered Bill Cipher? Not only unexpected but entirely unwanted as well. With the threat of somethingworsethan Bill on the horizon, Dipper reluctantly agrees to let Bill live in hopes of uncovering the answers to the newest mystery plaguing Gravity Falls.Now with part-time editor!





	1. Chapter one

**Author's Note:**

> I always bite off more than I can chew and when I have writer's block for some reason I get more creative for other things. So here's a thing.
> 
> I'm really horrible at staying focused so don't expect regular updates. They'll come in spurts at random intervals. That's just me, yo.

** <Welcome to Gravity Falls FM! I’m your host, Robbie V! Before we get back to the fine tunes, let’s take a look at the weather. Yeah, it’s boring but we’ve got people who actually work for a living, so…>**

        It was still hard for Dipper to take the radio seriously now. Robbie? Actually on the airwaves? Sure, it wasn’t his music, but that didn’t mean he wasted no time promoting himself. Though, being your own boss must have it’s perks. And the guy did work hard, so it wasn’t as if Dipper could complain too badly.

        Ten years had passed since that summer. Every summer since then had been it’s usual amount of weird - gnomes, unicorns, tree people. Dipper had actually foregone a couple of trips back two summers ago. School was bearing down and he had a summer project that need his utmost attention, so he’d allowed Mabel to visit his Grunkles without him.

        And, yes, it still felt weird. Mabel had begged him for three hours both times not to skip out and he’d denied both times. Now, here he was, just entering the small town alone in his jeep. It was Mabel’s turn to have her university take a metaphorical ‘shit’ on her summer and neither of them coming up just didn’t feel right. Not to mention the fact it felt like something or someone was drawing him towards Gravity Falls this summer.

        Once he’d missed two trips, a gnawing feeling ate away at him. Whenever he slept or ate or had a moment’s peace without work, he thought of Gravity Falls. He loved the place, it was home - more than his real home or his student apartment was. For the longest time he chalked it up to that. A longing, a need to be in the woods again, to fall asleep on the couch to crappy Gravity Falls television, to wake up to pancakes and maple syrup, to work in the Shack. And while he’d always felt that feeling after their first summer in Oregon, it was never so strong. So once summer break began, he brought it up to his Mythology professor. The man agreed it was a weird phenomena and that Dipper should make his summer project about Gravity Falls and this feeling either through video diaries or a journal. Dipper opted for both. This Pines was no stranger to overachieving, that was for sure.

        Pulling up to the Shack, Dipper hopped out, indulging in an enormous stretch before the back door to the Shack slammed open.

        “Uncle Dipper!”

        “Uncle Dipper, you gotta see this!!”

        Dipper let go of a grunted ‘oof’ as the two kids ran into him, threatening to topple him over with the hug. Hector and Isabella, Soos and Melody’s kids. They loved the outdoors just as much as he did - Mabel swears he had something to do with it. They both looked so much like Melody but their attitudes were clearly Soos’ doing. Smiling down at the two brunette’s, he crouched, placing his hands on his knees.

        “All right, what do ya got?”

        Isabella, the oldest, pulled out a jar as her smile widened, “Check it, dude. I got this thing just by the big oak tree out in the clearing!”

        “Oak tree?” Dipper took the jar and held it up, watching as the worm/beetle scurried around the bottom. It was an odd creature, that was for sure. And while Dipper was positive it wasn’t dangerous, it did have a set of pinchers. A small hiss escaped the bug as it curled in on itself protectively, giving the man a glare - if bugs could glare, “Wow, Isabella, that’s quite the find. What were you doing in the clearing?”

        The girl groaned. Here came the lecture, “Okay, so, Hector bet me that I couldn’t run from the Shack to the clearing and back in five minutes-”

        “Which she didn’t!”

        “And I told him if I did, he owed me his Summerween candy this year. But, I found that right by the statue so I got super distracted!”

        “I thought you said you found it by the oak tree?” lifting a brow, Dipper crossed his arms and cradled the jar in them gently, giving the small girl a knowing smile.

        “Did I?” she chuckled nervously, “Musta been, ya know...a uh...mix up.”

        “Yeah, I guess those things happen from time to time, huh?” he asked, giving her a wink, “I won’t tell if you don’t. Here, kid,” reaching out, he handed the jar back to the girl who took it gratefully.

        “Thanks, Papa woulda flipped, man!”

        “I’m gonna tell him!” Hector was the first to run off, bounding his way back towards the door and into the Shack with Isabella close behind screaming at the top of her lungs.

        A small chuckle shook Dipper’s shoulders as he rounded the jeep to the trunk and popped it before glancing out towards the tree line. Having either of the kids that close to the statue was worrisome. Soos usually kept a watchful eye on them when it came to the forest. He’d have to check on the man. And check on that statue. The old thing would probably fit nicely in his video diary anyhow, right? It was a huge part of Gravity Falls now, Soos having tours that led towards it and back.

        “Hey, dude!”

        Snapping from his thoughts, the brunette turned around and met with Soos’ usual goofy smile, beaming one of his own, “Hey, man!”

        “Been forever!” Soos ignored the extended hand for a shake and instead wrapped Dipper in a hug, picking him up off of the ground, “Screw the shake, it’s been two years, Dip!”

        “I know,” the smaller huffed, smiling up at Soos once he was placed back on the soft ground, “Just work and school, ya know? How’s everything?”

        Giving Dipper time to grab a few of his bags, Soos followed suit and grabbed the remainder, leading Dipper into the Shack, “Ya know, business is booming and all that! Also, Hector’s taking repair lessons, dude, he’s a natural! Just like his old man…”

        Dipper could swear the other was misty eyed by now. Smiling as he placed his bags on the floor, he clapped Soos on the shoulder, “You two still live in that house in the suburbs?”

        “Oh, yeah, you should visit some time. I just built this sweet new deck with a grill-”

        “You boys and your grills.”

        “Hey, Melody,” Dipper greeted, hugging the woman as she moved closer.

        She pulled away, placing her hands on the young man’s shoulders and set him with a stern stare, “Dipper Pines, I’ve got a bone to pick with you. How dare you skimp out on two summers!”

        “I’m sorry! I had a lot to do, didn’t Mabel fill you guys in?”

        “She mostly complained that you wouldn’t come,” the woman laughed, dropping her arms to rest at her sides.

        “Yeah, that sounds like her.”

        With a clear of his throat, Soos held out a set of keys to Dipper with a grin, “Welp, here ya go, big man. The keys to glory!”

        “Thanks,” Dipper laughed and grabbed the keys, pocketing them, “I think I got it from here. You gonna be by tomorrow to open up shop?”

        “You know it, dude!”

        Sharing their goodbyes, Dipper watched the family pack up and back out, turning onto the familiar dirt road leading to town. A small sigh left him as he glanced up towards the setting sun, a happy nostalgic feeling settling in his chest. It felt right being here, as if something just clicked inside of him as he stood on the porch. He couldn’t explain it right off, maybe it was purely for the fact he’d not been able to make it for two summers in a row or that he missed this place more than he allowed himself to believe.

        A small buzz in his pocket broke him from his thoughts and he pulled the vibrating device out to glance at the screen. Mabel, of course, “Shit.”

        The brunette stepped back into the house and allowed the door to close behind him before answering. He was meant to call her as soon as he’d gotten there but he’d been so wrapped up in talking with Soos that he’d let it slip his mind.

        “Hey, Mabes."

        “Thank God!” she called from the other end of the phone, “Do you know how long I’ve been waiting for you to call me?”

        “Thirty min-”

        “Forever, Dip! Seriously, you really know how to make a girl wait,” it was obvious by the tone in her voice that she was clearly pouting, “So, you made it there okay?”

        “We know the way here like the back of our hands, Mabel, of course I made it here okay!” Dipper laughed lightly as he looked through the fridge, a small smile gracing his lips as he noticed Melody left a plate of her salmon casserole for him tonight.

        “Good, I got worried. So, how are Isabella and Hector? Still little Soos clones?”

        The young adult hummed as he pulled the plate out, unwrapping the plastic wrap and popping it in the microwave, “Soos mentioned that Hector’s learning how to repair things from him, so...pretty spot on. Oh."

        “Oh?”

        “Uhm…” pausing a moment, Dipper made his way to the silverware drawer and pulled out a fork, “Isabella went near the statue.”

        “Does Soos and Melody know…?” there was a hesitance in her voice and Dipper cringed a little.

        “No… I promised her that I wouldn’t tell, for now anyway. But if I see them going near it again, I might have to say something.”

        “Dipper…” more hesitance, “maybe...maybe we should try to find some way to get rid of it? I mean… If the kids keep going near it-”

        “Keep?” now it was Dipper’s turn to pause, “What do you mean ‘keep’? This has happened before?”

        “Yeah, last summer when I was there, Isabella bet Hector to go lick the glowing moss off the pine tree in the clearing.”

        Dipper muttered a low ‘gross’ as he moved from the microwave to the small dining table with his food, “Maybe I should talk to Soos about quarantining the clearing? At least from Isabella and Hector.”

        “Well, what could he do?” the girl questioned, voice raising slightly, “Like...it would be a bit weird to build a fence around a clearing like that and also might disturb the wildlife.”

        “Got a point…”

        Growing silent as Mabel began to complain about her day at an incredible speed, Dipper startled at the sound of something scurrying across glass. He looked up quickly towards the counter and saw the bug Isabella had caught. It looked hungry. And scared. Of course, he knew he would be too if someone caught him and stuffed him inside of a Mason jar.

        It ran about along the length of the circular bottom as if it were pacing. It was long and yellow with spindly black legs. It almost looked like a centipede but Dipper was positive it’s outer shell was harder than that. Not to mention it didn’t have antennae.

        “Hey,” it took a while but Mabel had eventually paused to take a breath and he jumped at the chance.

        “Yeah?”

        Licking at his lips, he sighed a bit, leaning back in his chair, “Did Isabella and Hector bring anything back after they went to the clearing?”

        “Oh, yeah!!” Dipper could almost swear the girl had jumped ten feet after remembering, “It was a bug. It looked like a beetle but it was really soft. Like, it’s shell hadn’t developed or something.”

        “Hmm…” giving a low hum, Dipper stood and walked over to the jar, kneeling to get a better look, “Color?”

        “Yellow.”

        He paused again, “Yellow? You’re sure?”

        “Yup. It was definitely yellow. And black.”

        With a groan, Dipper stood, picking up the jar as he went, “They found another one,” turning it over, he watched as the bug stared back at him, curling up protectively, “only it’s kind of like a centipede? I guess. It looks like the shell is a lot harder than a centipede’s though, so I dunno.”

        “Think it has something to do with the area?” she questioned, sounding genuinely interested - albeit a bit worried.

        “I mean…” trailing off, Dipper sat the jar down onto the tabletop, “it could? I could go and see, check out the area.”

        “I swear to Christ, Dipper, if I get a call from Soos saying you’re dead, I’m killing you!”

        Laughing gently, he plopped back into his seat, “You’d have to ace that summer project first, right?”

        “Oh yeah…”

        “You haven’t even started, have you?”

        “... _I mean_ … Do you want the truth or do you want my truth?”

        “Mabel, go do your homework,” he laughed again, sitting upright to take another bite of his food.

        “Okay, okay. Night, I love ya, Dip-Dot.”

        “Love you, too, Mabes.”

        He hung up and tucked the phone away in his back pants pocket. Taking the last few bites of his food, he stood and deposited them in the sink before running some water over them. He could hear the bug scurrying around from the sink. With a slow turn, he looked back, watching as the centipede/worm/beetle ran around in quick circles along the bottom. Maybe it wanted out? Well, of course it wanted out, nice deduction Dipper Pines. But it seemed like it wanted away from him specifically. It hadn’t acted like this when Isabella held it. Nor when Hector jostled it earlier.

        Taking a step, he paused when the creak of the floor caught the bug’s attention. It stopped moving, watching him intently, almost as if daring him to get closer. Would be intimidating if he were scared of bugs, which he wasn’t. He took another step and watched as the thing backed up against the side of the jar as if attempting to get away from him. Maybe he could try calling Ford in the morning. If anyone would know anything it would be him after all.

        “All right, buddy,” picking up the jar, Dipper watched as it curled up again, “time for bed. I’ll see about releasing you tomorrow.”

        That seemed to had calmed it, forcing it to relax even the slightest bit as Dipper grabbed the bag full of sleep clothes and made his way up the stairs, jar in hand. Once the door to the attic was opened, Dipper couldn’t help the smile forcing its way onto his features. It was hard to believe he allowed two summers to pass without coming up for at least a weekend.

        The room had changed drastically over the years as the twins grew up. Eventually, Mabel had grown up to the point that she wanted her own room. Dipper found that entirely laughable after their first summer here. Either way, Mabel’s room was now down a floor and across from Stan’s. She might have grown out of her boy band obsession but her room was still covered in it’s typical Mabel fashion. Glitter.

        Setting the bag down at the foot of his bed, he walked for the dresser and placed the jar on top. He was worried the thing might starve before morning. Giving it one final once over, Dipper straightened and walked over to his bag, opening it up and pulling out a pair of sweatpants and a t-shirt. It was oddly silent for having a nervous bug in the room. He looked over towards it to find it watching closely as if waiting for him to strip. It was a bit unnerving.

        “Ya mind?” twirling his finger in the air to signal for the bug to turn around, he was surprised when it actually obeyed, “Huh. Maybe you **should** stick around… You seem easier to teach than Waddles.”

        A small chattering came from the jar and Dipper smiled. Whatever the thing was, it was intelligent. Shaking his head, he stripped of his dirty clothes and put on the night clothes in his hand. The bag was zipped up and placed on the floor before he plopped down onto the bed, sighing as the old mattress allowed him to sink in. Damn, it felt good to be back, that was for sure.

        “Night, bug.”

        More chattering, as if it were saying ‘good night’ back. Another smile graced itself on Dipper’s features before he stretched and dove into the covers, curling up into the warmth.

 


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>     Eeeyyyy, is ya girl, Dawn. Back at it again with another chapter.
> 
>     My editor is having a hell of a time with work and things. I was waiting around for a while for when we both had time to actually put the chapter together and at some point I'd actually forgotten. My b - entirely my fault. But, here it is! Chapter two! After...a long while!
> 
>     Edits will likely come at some point, unless my glorious editor deems my writing too amazing for words (which is highly unlikely). But, enjoy until then! I hope it's good enough!
> 
>     _Ray's added note: Edits will be made slowly but surely ^^ Check back now and again to see what's new!_

Light crept through the window as the sun slowly rose above the horizon. From both downstairs and outside the voices of patron and worker alike mingled together to create a gentle mesh of background noise; a pleasant calm to awake to, that was for sure. 

The morning was peaceful, a low groan of pleasure interrupting the quiet as Dipper stretched his limbs out and attempted to force his mind to hurry into awareness. It was a struggle for sure, trying to sleep in the city never resulted in the refreshing slumber that he got here- though in all honesty, the fact he didn’t really  _ want  _ to wake up just yet likely didn’t help either.

A small scuttering to his left caught his attention and he glanced over towards the jar. He was surprised it was awake what with the sun just peeking through the treetops. Well, he couldn’t check on it from where he was still lingering in bed. Heaving a reluctant sigh, Dipper kicked off his blanket… Or at least attempted to, his legs tangling with the fabric and leading him to awkwardly kick his feet back and forth until he managed to wiggle free of his confinement. 

As he finally rolled off of his bed and straightened with yet another stretch, he gave his blankets a glare that promised he wouldn’t forget this betrayal. He was an adult now, much too mature to be dealing with these awkward shenanigans. Maybe if he told himself that enough, the world would finally listen to him. 

A nearby clicking caught his attention and he turned his gaze to where the bug was circling the bottom of the jar, seemingly expectantly staring up at him.

“Yeah, you’re probably really hungry. Don’t worry, we’re going, I promise.” Dipper gave the creature a small smile as he carefully picked up its jar and headed towards then down the stairs before making his way to where he had left his bags the previous night.

The jar was gently set on the counter before Dipper knelt beside his bags, eager to pluck out clothes at random so he could wash off the stench of yesterday's travel. Once his things were gathered he gleefully hurried to the downstairs bathroom, skin crawling and  _ itching _ to be cleaned once more. He didn’t bother keeping track of time while he stood soaking in the warmth of the water, but at some point he distantly heard a door crash open followed by the familiar stampede of children's feet rushing over the floor. Soos’ voice was faintly heard, with a distinct lack of Melody alongside his; perhaps she hadn’t come today?

It was something to look into, though not quite his most important question of the day- and certainly not something to be thinking about as he was drying himself off so he could get dressed for the day.

It wasn’t long before he was dressed and leaving the bathroom, immediately heading towards the kitchen as he, correctly, assumed that that was where the children would likely be.

“This is where I left him!”

Of course they’d found the bug. Walking into the kitchen Dipper leaned against the doorframe, watching as the two tapped on the glass of the mason jar. The bug scurried around the bottom as if showing off, as if it were happy to see them again.

“Thanks for finding him, Uncle Dipper!” Slipping from the chair, Isabella picked up the jar and made a move to run by until Dipper stopped her.

“Hold on,” swiping the jar from the small girl gently, Dipper smiled, “I’m gonna need to look at him for a bit, okay? I promised him I’d take him back to the clearing. If he comes back then I’ll give him to you, deal?”

Her bottom lip jutted out for a moment until Hector spoke up, “Yeah, he probably has a family and junk, dude. He probably misses them.”

“Yeah, okay… But if he comes back, bring him back home, okay?” Looking up at Dipper hopefully, she settled the man with a smile before running off with Hector.

With the twins gone he could more clearly hear Soos talking up a tour from here. The man was pretty good. Of course, he’d probably listened to Stan religiously. He could still remember the look on Soos’ face when Stan told him he could run the Mystery Shack. He’d never seen someone so happy before, Mabel’s almost unending river of happiness being an outlier and therefore  _ not counting _ .

Soos adored his job, and Dipper didn’t want to risk getting in the way while he was busy with a tour. Grabbing a few granola bars and his backpack, Dipper tied the jar to the back tightly before slipping it onto his shoulders. He was quiet as he locked up the house and began walking for the tree line, not wanting to get in the way of the tour or risk Soos asking where he might be going- Dipper didn’t need him finding out about this after all, he had promised a certain someone and he kept his promises.

The farther he walked, the higher in the sky the sun rose. A smile crept onto his features as he stepped over fallen branches and crunched leaves from last year’s fall. It would be some time before a tour was brought out here. Soos used the statue as a centerpiece, the main event, a “staple”. So long as he hurried out of the way before they got there, he’d have plenty of time to look around.

Eventually, the trees began to disperse as he walked closer and closer to the clearing, entering it slowly. A small twinge of something fluttered in his chest. He couldn’t quite explain what it was. Almost a feeling of loss? Definitely regret, he could feel that. But regret for what?

As he stepped in farther, the statue came into view, settled underneath a willow with his hand outstretched as if waiting to make a deal with some poor desperate soul. It was shielded from the light by the plethora of leaves swaying in the wind from the branches hanging in front of it; Soos had really added a touch of magic to this place with that tree, the glimpses of the statue through the trees really gave a sense of curious foreboding.

Idly Dipper had to wonder if Bill was inside of that thing, quickly following that idle thought was a shiver of dread at the brief thought of it. 

Once close enough, he dropped his bag gently and untied the jar from the back. The bug was running in circles now, practically vibrating with the need for release. He opened the lid and sat the glass jar down on its side. The bug hesitated as if it felt Dipper would slam the lid shut at any moment. When Dipper didn’t make a move, the small insect crawled its way out of the jar and trampled through the grass on its way to the statue, climbing up the leg and over the crumbling edge.

Well, it was clear they were somehow related, that much was obvious. Grabbing the jar, Dipper replaced the lid and sat in the soft grass, watching as the bug crawled all over the statue before settling on the outstretched hand. It didn’t move for some time, curling in on itself as if to prepare to sleep. Dipper half hopped he’d figure out what the thing liked to eat while they were here, in case the bug decided to tag along with him back home.

With a sigh, Dipper stood. Nothing was happening and he wasn’t getting any answers from this small outing. Not to mention he’d left his camera in his other bag at the Shack so he’d be returning at a later date anyhow. Walking closer to the statue and extending his open palm for the bug, he smiled gently, “So, want to come back with me or stay here?”

The bug seemed to contemplate that for a moment before stepping onto his hand and crawling up his arm to rest at his shoulder. It  **was** highly intelligent. Or at least knew of some things. It definitely understood English, that was obvious. Glancing back, Dipper met the eye of the statue, pausing for a moment.

“Been a while, Bill…” he trailed slowly, voice lowering, “What was it? Six summers since we’d last been to this clearing?”

A small chattering came from the bug on his shoulder and he looked over towards it with a smile. It was almost comforting to not be standing in the clearing alone. He knew if he had he wouldn’t have had the courage. Mabel usually accompanied him to the clearing, mostly for upkeep. With Bill being a rather large attraction, no one wanted the statue to fall to ruin - yet. Still though, Bill had ruined his life for a good two years and he still had trouble sleeping from time to time. Sure, the sleeping pills helped but when they didn’t…

Letting go of another sigh, Dipper knelt to pick up the jar and place it inside of his bag, content with the bug riding on his shoulder, “Ya know, we’re gonna have to name you at some point. Can’t keep callin’ you ‘Bug’.”

More chittering. If Dipper thought the bug could understand him before, there was no doubt in his mind now. The thought of a name seemed to overjoy the little thing, his small feet stamping with anticipation against the shoulder of his plaid shirt.

“Well, then, what would you like to be called?” he smiled, hoisting the bag up and slipping it onto his shoulders, staying mindful of the creature, “Uuuhhh...Mabel would probably call you something like Pede, short for centipede. Even though that’s not what you are.”

Silence. Not Pede, then.

“Phillip,” he almost wanted to laugh at that. Mabel would kill him if she knew he suggested to name the thing after her high school ex.

More silence. Phillip was out. Thank the Gods.

“Okay,” pausing to situate the bag, he began walking off for the woods, “Waddles 2; The Sequel?” that time he couldn’t stop the snicker.

Again, silence.

“Not that one either, huh? I don’t blame you. Grenda would approve, though,” trailing off, he hummed lowly as he thought. He was always awful at naming pets - not that the bug was one, of course. Still though, running around calling it ‘bug’ seemed like an insult with how smart the thing was. It deserved something.

_ “How about Bill?” _

His heart froze at the voice as his eyes widened. Feet stilling and planting themselves in the grass, Dipper felt the sudden urge to turn around and face the statue. Fear. He knew that emotion well and he was definitely feeling it. Anxiety gnawed at him as well and he started to hyperventilate. No, he needed to stay calm, needed to stay collected. This had to be a trick, right? He couldn’t be here, talking, breathing. There was no way he could be.

_ “Think again, Pine Tree.” _

Slowly, Dipper turned, facing the statue. He could feel his heartbeat in his eardrum, his blood rushing quickly through his veins, causing him to feel a dizzying nausea he’d only ever felt during a panic attack. Breathing was meant to come easy, but it wasn’t. It was hard, ragged, it forced everything around him to dull in color as if he’d been summoned to the Mindscape again. If Bill was standing there, floating there, whatever it was Bill did to get around, he was going to-. 

No one. A bark of laughter left him and his shoulders relaxed. When had he tensed up, anyhow? The area around him spun momentarily as his body came down from the shot of pure adrenaline he unwittingly dosed himself with when his fight or flight mechanism decided to malfunction. Color bled back into his surroundings as his body realized that, no, he wasn’t about to die an excruciatingly horrible death at the hands of a triangular demon with a God complex.

He wasn’t here. Couldn’t be here. Wouldn’t be here. They were rid of him, had been for ten years now. Ten years of peace and here he was having a nervous breakdown in front of what could easily be described as his grave.

“We’re not naming you ‘Bill’...” he muttered lowly as he turned away from the statue.

The trek back was silent. Though, it wasn’t as if it were a total waste, he found out that the bug really likes moss. So in hopes of keeping the poor thing alive, he scraped a generous amount into the Mason jar before heading home.

He wasn’t surprised to find both Isabella and Hector waiting for him on the steps. They asked questions at a mile a minute, wondering where he went and what happened. What did the bug do when he got back to the clearing? Why did the bug decide to return home with him? Did he find more bugs near the statue? Rightfully, he couldn’t answer a damn one of them. Not just for the fact that he purely didn’t know - and he couldn’t even begin to give a straight answer to two of them - he mostly didn’t want them gallivanting into the woods alone again.

Exhausted, he gently pushed by them and made his way to the kitchen, plopping down in a huff into one of the seats at the table before setting the Mason jar down and allowing the bug to clamber off. He watched idly as the thing made a bed in the moss. Was it awake all night? Must have been, it was certainly awake before he was. Another, more frustrated huff left him as his head lolled back to rest against the chair. This was confusing. 

What was this thing and why was it here?

_ “Might have something to do with me.” _

There it was again. His voice. Scrolling his eyes around the parameter of the room, he was almost disappointed to find it empty. Not a soul alive had entered the kitchen since he’d sat down. He was utterly alone - and he felt it. A small uncertain shiver tore through him as he glanced down towards the now sleeping bug. His teeth worried at his bottom lip as he became lost in thought.

_ “Ya know, kid, if you really must name the thing, I’ve always called him Ocular.” _

“Ocular…” it surprised him just how fast the bug whirled around to stare him down expectantly at the mere mention of his name. It was connected to Bill specifically. Bill owned it.

Sitting up slowly, Dipper wasn’t sure what he should do. What could he do? Bill wasn’t here, as far as he knew, yet he could hear him. No one else around seemed to hear him - what with Isabella and Hector playing in the living room just a mere few feet away. They certainly would have wandered in by now hearing another voice.

“What-” cringing lightly at just how loud he was being, he lowered his voice, keeping a watchful eye on the archway of the kitchen, “What do you want, Bill?”

_ “Awh, c’mon, Pine Tree! Ain’t obvious? I missed ya!” _

He had to scoff at that. A demon missed him? Would be his luck, “Right… How are you doing this…?”

Silence. Of all the times Bill could play coy, he would of course chose now. Dipper could almost picture the pleased look in his eye at the thought Dipper couldn’t grasp how this was happening. It sickened him that he could so easily be seen as a toy to someone, or rather some _ thing _ .

Then, something occurred to him. What if he were projecting the voice himself? Bill wasn’t actually talking to him, it was his rather morbid sense of humor getting the best of him? Or something worse… Did psychosis run in his family? Surely he wouldn’t just develop it after Weirdmagedon without his therapist back in California noticing, right? A low groan left him as he ran his fingers through his hair in frustration, pulling ever so slightly at the strands. The sudden jolt of pain helped get his thoughts in order, his mind felt so crowded. No way in hell could he tell Mabel. Ford was even farther out of the question than she was.

_ “I swear, Pine Tree, your thoughts are morbid as fuck!” _

Growling weakly, Dipper set a pointed glare down towards the wood of the table his elbows currently rested on, “Well, who do I have to thank for that?”

“Thank for what?”

One would swear Dipper had almost broke his neck with how quickly he jerked his head up to be met with the worried expression on Soos’ face. Of course, walking in on someone talking to themselves would worry anyone, why should he be surprised? A small clearing of his throat forced a grimace onto his own features and he had to kick himself for not being able to hide it well.

“Just, ya know. Thinking out loud, is all,” the nervous laughter tacked to the end of that probably didn’t help matters as he noticed Soos’ expression deepen.

_ “Don’t think he fell for it, Pine Tree.” _

Yup, Dipper was going to kill him. Straight murder him. With a huff, Dipper stood, suddenly realizing exactly how hungry he’d gotten since skipping breakfast. His stomach grumbled lowly and embarrassingly as the chair he’d sat in clacked loudly against the tiled flooring of the kitchen.  Of course, he’d packed two granola bars but never thought to eat them. He blamed his anxiety for that one - wholeheartedly, too. Eating came last when compared to fearing for his life where Bill was concerned.

“Dip, are you sure you’re okay?”

Soos’ voice cut through his thoughts as Dipper busied himself with the contents of the fridge. This wasn’t the first time he’d seen Soos worry and likely wouldn’t be the last. Soos had practically helped raise Mabel and him. Then once his own children had come along, Soos had fit nicely into the role of family man and protector. It was almost second nature for Soos now to worry about everyone.

And, Gods, did he want to answer. He wanted to reassure Soos and tell the man that everything were okay. In all honesty, however, he had no clue what to say to him. Dipper himself wasn’t sure if things were okay. Hell, who was he kidding? Things definitely weren’t okay! A demon that had been dead for ten years previously now talking to him inside of his head? There was no way that would blow over well.

“Yeah, I mean,” he started lowly - lamely - as he pulled out the ingredients for a cucumber and cream cheese sandwich, “I’m just hungry, I guess. I skipped breakfast.”

Hopefully Soos took it as him skipping by accident. There was no way he could justify going to the statue alone without thoroughly outing Isabella and Hector. While promising to not tell was likely a bad idea, he also didn’t want to betray their trust. They had found the bug and were allowing him to keep it for study - he wasn’t about to tattle on them like a child. Yet. As he was very much aware, the statue was dangerous and the more they kept visiting and finding these ‘bugs’ the worse their danger got.

Conceding with that, Soos sighed gently - thank God because Dipper’s heart couldn’t take the overwhelming silence, “Okay. But you know you can talk to me, dude. No judgement!”

“I know,” he answered back with a soft smile, clearly more than just a little thankful that Soos wasn’t about to pry. While Soos meant it so genuinely that it hurt, Dipper couldn’t risk having Soos be put in danger from this. The man had a family, it wasn’t in Dipper’s rights to damn their fate like that.

When Soos turned to leave the kitchen, Dipper sighed heavily. He had a gnawing feeling that he’d be doing that a lot in the near future. The bug was happily chewing on a bit of moss behind him on the table top and Dipper turned to stare for a few moments. He hadn’t heard the voice the entire time Soos had been in the kitchen. And while the bug had answered to the name Bill gave, that didn’t help rule out that maybe - just maybe - Dipper had imagined the voice. That maybe Dipper was pulling the wool over his own eyes for once. That maybe he was finally wrong about something.

The two sides to this coin were both equally as messed up. On one side, Bill was coming back which meant doom for the entire world as they knew it. It was all around bad and something that Dipper would have to scramble to put a stop to without Mabel. On the other, Dipper was quite obviously insane. He’d lost his mind at some point during his ride up to Gravity Falls and visiting the statue was the final nail in the coffin for his sanity.

Was it bad for him to hope for the latter?


End file.
